Building trim having slidable moulding

ABSTRACT

Nail or screw holes are provided on the body of a trim unit so that the trim body can be more robustly secured to the building structure, beneath a slidable moulding which in a first position reveals these holes and in a second position covers the holes. This sliding is preferably achieved by a self-retaining interference connection, such as a dovetail joint, between a movable moulding part and the body of the trim unit. In a further preference, the moulding has a stationary portion that is fixed with respect to the trim body, and a movable portion which, after attachment of the trim body to the structural member, can be slid into engagement with the stationary portion and glued thereon to complete the moulding.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 120, ofcopending U.S. application Ser. No. 12/152,068 filed May 12, 2008 for“Window Frame With Hidden Nailing Channel” and U.S. application Ser. No.12/383,976 filed Mar. 31, 2009 for “Prefabricated Corner Post.”

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to building construction and in particularto the installation of trim on the building exterior.

Such trim can, for example, be a frame for doors, windows, and otherwall penetrations, four-sided columns, two-sided corner simulations ofcolumns, or simply simulation of a front face of a column. Trim units ofthis kind are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Pub. 2009/0277110 and (asyet unpublished) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/383,976. Thesedocuments show techniques for mounting the trim via mounting strips tostructural members such as walls or posts. However, some trim units canbe very heavy and the need arises for easily securing these trim membersin a more robust fashion to the structural member.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one broad aspect, the invention is directed to providing nail orscrew holes on the body of the trim unit so that the trim body can bemore robustly secured to the building structure, beneath a slidablemoulding which in a first position reveals these holes and in a secondposition covers the holes.

This sliding is preferably achieved by a self-retaining interferenceconnection, such as a dovetail joint, between a movable moulding partand the body of the trim unit.

In a further preference, the moulding has a stationary portion that isfixed with respect to the trim body, and a movable portion which, afterattachment of the trim body to the structural member, can be slid intoengagement with the stationary portion and glued thereon to complete themoulding.

In the end-use embodiment, the building construction trim unit comprisesa body attached to a building and the body has an associated decorativemoulding. The body has an installation side bearing on a structuralmember of the building and a front side opposite the installation side.At least one hole passes from the front side to the installation side. Aslidable connection is provided between the moulding and the bodywhereby in one end position the moulding exposes the hole to receive afastener into the structural member and in another end position themoulding covers the hole.

Those familiar with the construction trades will readily appreciate thatthe trim unit disclosed herein provides for quick, efficient, andaesthetically clean decoration on a wide variety of building surfacessuch as window trim, four-sided posts, and simulated columns. The trimunit body is rigidly attachable to the building structure and theassociated moulding is rigidly attachable to the trim body without theneed for externally driven nails or screws.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Various embodiments will are described below with reference to theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a window frame constituting a trim unitfor a window box, showing moulding secured on the top frame elementaccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a section view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the window frame of FIG. 1, showing amovable portion of the moulding separated from the stationary portion ofthe moulding, to expose holes for attaching the trim body to the wall ofa building;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a preference in which the side elementsof the window frame have a channel for receiving end edges of wallsiding panels;

FIG. 5 is a section view of another embodiment showing the movableportion of the moulding of a trim unit on a partial column;

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of a trim unit, for a column, having abody and a composite moulding at the bottom of the column; and

FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of a trim unit for a wooden post,whereby all four sides of the post can be covered with a decorativetrim.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-3 show a prefabricated window frame 10, having top element 12,bottom element 14 and side elements 16 connected or configured togetherto define a rectangular frame, each element having front 18 and backfaces, and inner 22 and outer 24 edges. At least the side elements 16,but preferably also the top and bottom elements 12, 14 have a channel 28in which mounting strips 30 have been press fit. Optionally, the edgescan also include another channel indicated at 26 in FIG. 2, tofacilitate installation of vinyl or aluminum siding against the frame asdescribed in U.S. Publication 2009/0277110. The inner edge 32 of themounting strip 30 is retained well within the edge 22 of the frame, andthe outer edge 34 of the strip extends outside the perimeter of theframe, where mounting holes 36 are provided in the strip.

Whether prefabricated as an entire unit or assembled on site as suchunit, the frame with strips and/or complete mounting flange 38 areplaced around the window box or similar penetration with the back face20 of the frame against the wall 40 as shown in FIG. 4. The flange 38then is affixed to the wall, such as by nailing through holes 36 toarrive at a condition shown in FIG. 1. To accommodate the subsequentattachment of vinyl or aluminum siding 42 to the wall 40, thelongitudinal end seams 44 and end edges 46 of the sliding panels areslid into the channel 26 of each frame element.

Although in a straightforward traditional manner the frame elementscould be attached directly to the wall, this would require covering andcareful painting over unsightly nail or screw heads. The use of mountingstrips 30 or other indirect attachments that are hidden by the siding,avoids this labor intensive step. However, indirect attachment of theframe to the wall is generally not as strong as direct attachment. Thepresent invention solves this problem by achieving direct attachment ofat least one frame element, with or without indirect attachment of otherframe elements, while avoiding the need to cover and paint nail or screwheads.

Preferably, before the vinyl siding is inserted and, in any event, whereused with wood siding, an additional feature according to the presentinvention is relied upon to attach the frame to the building structure.The top frame element 12 (above the window opening 48) generallyincludes a decorative moulding 50, preferably consisting of a top board52 a and a base 52 b. The top board 52 a is permanently affixed near itsinner edge 58, to the top of element 12. While the window frame isattached to the building by the mounting strips 30, the base 52 b of themoulding is vertically slid downward from the top board 52 a, to theposition shown in FIG. 3. This is possible because the front 18 ofelement 12 includes a groove 54 indicated at 18′ engaging a projection56 in the base portion of the moulding 52 b. The preferred dovetailjoint 54, 56, permits displacement of the base 52 b downwardly below theelevation of the through hole 60, as shown in FIG. 3. The installer canthen further secure the frame to the building wall by connecting therigid top element 12 to the wall with fasteners through hole 60.Preferably, the attachment holes 60 are not in the grooves 54, to avoidany interference between an installation nail or screw and the tongueportion 56 of the slidable moulding base 52 b.

After the screws are installed through holes 60, the top surface 52 c ofthe base 52 b is glued and the base 52 b is slid upward into contactwith the top piece 52 b and preferably clamped to complete theinstallation as shown in FIG. 1.

The entire trim unit, and especially the moulding, is preferably made ofhard PVC plastic.

In a further improvement, the entire inside perimeter 22 of the windowframe which defines the opening 48 for receiving the window box,includes a substantially continuous pre-installed gasket 62 which ispreferably press fit with an enlarged portion 64 into a correspondingbeveled groove 66. Conventionally, the inside perimeter 22 is a simpleboard edge and the window box must be caulked in. The preinstalledgasket saves the installer significant time.

It should be appreciated that the preinstalled gasket feature can beemployed without the movable moulding previously described and,moreover, with any window frame regardless of installation techniqueonto the building wall.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. 5, where a construction trim member68 in the form of a partial column or the like is shown in cross-sectionat the elevation where the body 70 has an installation side 72 bearingon or secured to the structural member 74 of the building, such as awall, and a front side 76 opposite the installation side. At least one,and in this case two holes 78 a, 78 b pass from the front side 76 to theinstallation side 72. It should be appreciated that body 70 extendsvertically a substantial distance along the building structure,typically at least one story.

The trim member 68 includes a decorative moulding 80, typically at thetop and bottom of the vertically extending body 70. As an example, thesection view of FIG. 5 can be considered as through the finallyinstalled trim member 68. The moulding 80 has a back side 82 and a frontside 84. The back side 82 includes an elongated protrusion such astongue 86 that fits into a corresponding tapered groove 88 in the body70, providing a sliding relationship whereby the holes 78 a, 78 b areexposed for penetration the nails or screws 92 a, 92 b before themovable moulding portion 80 is slid into its final position covering thegroove 88 and the nails 92. It should be appreciated, that in a mannersimilar to that described with respect to FIGS. 1-3, the movablemoulding portion 80 can have a flat top surface 94 that can be glued toa moulding top element which is not shown in FIG. 5 but would rigidlyproject from the top of the body 70 such that the movable portion 80 ispermanently joined to the top element portion of the moulding.

In the illustrated embodiment, the moulding portion 80 has a generallyinverted, squared-off “C” shape, with side portions 90 extendingperpendicularly from the back surface 82. According to the invention,the moulding 80 portion would still be slidable and attachable in thesame manner as described above, even if the side portions 90 were notpresent, because these are not relied on either for the relative slidingor for laterally stabilizing the moulding movable part relative to thebody.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of a column trim unit having a body 96and a composite moulding 98, at the bottom of the column. The mouldinghas a stationary part 102 that is permanently secured to a cement orwooden base in the manner to be described, and a movable base portion100 which upon completion of the installation will rest on the portion102. The trim body 96 has a cutout or groove 106 in which a rigid,L-shape bracket 104 is flush with the visible or front side of the body96. Transverse bracket portion 108 projects outwardly from the drawingplane relative to the elongated portion of the bracket. The uppersurface 110 of the projection 108 is spaced slightly below the uppersurface of the groove 110 provided in the stationary portion 102 of themoulding. The projection 108 includes a hole 112 through which a screw114 passes through the stationary portion 102 into the concrete or thelike 118. A through bore 116 can optionally be provided for thispurpose. After the trim body 96 has been firmly secured to the floor 118by means of the bracket 104 and screw or bolt 114, the movable portion100 of the moulding can be slid down and glued against the stationaryportion 102. This sliding is achieved by a continuation of groove 106upwardly as shown at 122, and a corresponding projection 120 on the backside of movable member 100 which slides in the groove. Holes 124corresponding to 78 a and 78 b in FIG. 5 can optionally be provided tosecure the body portion 96 of the trim to the wall or post before themoulding portion 100 is slid down to portion 102.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of a trim unit 126 whereby four sides ofa square wooden post 128 can be covered with a decorative trim piece130. This view is similar to that shown in FIG. 5, i.e., without showingthe top piece of the moulding, onto which the movable portions are gluedas the final step in the installation. In this embodiment, each of thefour substantially flat mold bases 132 a-d has a projecting tongue orthe like 134 which mates with a corresponding groove 136 in therectangular, vertically elongated trim body 138. Each body has holes 140on either side of the corresponding groove for receiving nails or screws142. It should be appreciated that each of the movable moulding portions132 a-d relies only on the corresponding dovetail joint for both slidingand lateral stability.

Although not shown, each of the grooves in the previously describedembodiments can have a lead-in which permits the initial overlap of themovable portion of the moulding relative to the body of the trim member,after which the permanent portion of the moulding can be secured to thebody.

1. A building construction trim unit comprising: a body to be attachedto a building and a decorative moulding on the body; said body having aninstallation side for abutting a structural member of the building and afront side opposite the installation side, with at least one holepassing from the front side to the installation side; wherein a slidableconnection is provided between the moulding and the body whereby in oneend position the moulding exposes the at least one hole to receive afastener into the structural member and in another end position themoulding covers the at least one hole.
 2. The trim unit of claim 1,wherein the sliding connection self-retains the slidable moulding ontothe body of the trim unit.
 3. The trim unit of claim 1, wherein thesliding connection is a dovetail joint.
 4. The trim unit of claim 1,wherein the structural member is a four sided post and the trim unit hasa flat installation side on each of four bodies that abut respectivesides of the post.
 5. The trim unit of claim 1, wherein the structuralmember is a building wall having a border around a wall penetration andthe trim unit is a frame attached to the border around said penetration.6. The trim unit of claim 1, wherein the trim unit is a window framehaving top, side and bottom elements connected together as a rectangle;the top element defines said trim body; and the moulding is slidable onthe top element.
 7. The trim unit of claim 1 wherein the trim unit is awindow frame having an internal perimeter defining a window box openingand said perimeter has a continuous gasket retained therein.
 8. The trimunit of claim 1, wherein, the building structure has at least one flatvertical wall; the trim unit has a flat vertical body portion havingupper and lower ends and abutting said wall; a trim moulding is slidableat one of the upper or lower ends of the body along said body portion ina dovetail joint; and the body is fastened to said wall through at leasttwo holes adjacent the dovetail joint.
 9. The trim assembly of claim 1,wherein, the moulding has a stationary member fixed to the body and abase member which is slidably connected to the body between said firstand second positions; and in the second position the base member abutsthe stationary member.
 10. The trim assembly of claim 9, wherein whenthe body is in a vertical orientation corresponding to attachment of theinstallation side on a vertical structural member, the body has an upperedge; the stationary member is rigidly attached to the upper edge; thefront side of the body has a groove running vertically from the upperedge of the body, beneath the stationary member, and at least one ofsaid holes is situated laterally of the groove; and the base member isconnected to the body member by a projection that slides in said groovesuch that in the second position when the base member abuts thestationary member, the base member completely covers the groove.
 11. Thetrim assembly of claim 9, wherein the body is attached to the structuralmember with at least one fastener in a respective at least one hole; thebase member abuts the stationary member; and the base member is adheredto the stationary member.
 12. The trim assembly of claim 2, wherein thebuilding structure has at least one flat vertical wall; the trim unithas a flat vertical body portion having upper and lower ends andabutting said wall; a trim moulding is slidable at one of the upper orlower ends of the body along said body portion; and the body is fastenedto said wall through at least two holes adjacent the slidableconnection.
 13. The trim assembly of claim 2, wherein, the moulding hasa stationary member fixed to the body and a base member which isslidably connected to the body between said first and second positions;and in the second position the base member abuts the stationary member.14. The trim assembly of claim 13, wherein the body is attached to thestructural member with at least one fastener in a respective at leastone hole; the base member abuts the stationary member; and the basemember is adhered to the stationary member.
 15. A trim assembly forsimulating a column on a building having vertical and horizontalstructural members, comprising: a stationary trim moulding memberabutting the horizontal structural support; a trim body member abuttingthe stationary moulding member and extending vertically along thevertical structural member; a vertical recess in the trim body memberimmediately adjacent the stationary moulding member and a horizontalrecess in the stationary moulding member that intersects the verticalrecess; an angle bracket situated in said recesses, having a verticalleg fixed to and substantially flush with the front side of the trimbody and a horizontal leg substantially flush with the stationarymolding member; a fastener passing through the horizontal leg of thebracket, the stationary molding member, and into the horizontalstructural support; a trim base molding member vertically slidable onthe trim body between a first position spaced from the stationary trimmember a sufficient distance to permit engagement of said fastener and asecond position abutting the stationary trim molding member and therebycovering said bracket and fastener.
 16. The assembly of claim 15,wherein the trim base member has a projection that slides in a verticalgroove in the trim body member, between said first and second positions.17. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the trim body member has at leastone hole located laterally of the vertical recess, and a respectivefastener there through and penetrating the vertical structural member.